Your employees are an essential part of your business, but how much they contribute to your overall success depends on how productive they are. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to boost productivity — and with it your startup’s bottom line.
Create a Comfortable Environment
Image via Flickr by vickysandoval22
How productive are you when you’re sitting in a squeaky, hard chair or when you’re too hot or too cold? Take a serious look at your office. Does it have any maintenance issues that could degrade productivity? Although there is an ongoing debate about what the ideal office temperature is, no one can argue that a well-maintained AC system won’t create a more comfortable office.
Also think about your furniture. Rickety desks and chairs that aren’t ergonomically sound should be replaced as soon as possible. Ask your employees for their opinions on changes that could make the office a more enjoyable place to inhabit.
Encourage Breaks
On the surface, breaks might seem like the nadir of productivity, but science has found that those who take a short break once an hour have much greater focus than those who simply try to soldier through a large chunk of work. So when you notice that one of your employees is on Facebook, don’t immediately get out the rod of discipline. As long as the employee isn’t squandering a huge amount of time, those diversions can actually benefit your business.
Along the same lines, encourage your employees to use their vacation time when they have it. They’ll come back refreshed and ready to conquer your industry!
Offer Incentives and Set Goals
Admittedly, startups don’t have the budget to offer new cars or European vacations to their top-performing employees, but you can still reward good performance. Get to know your employees and their circumstances so that you can discover what sort of incentives would best motivate them. Perhaps an extra paid day off or a certificate for a dinner at a nice restaurant will do the trick.
Don’t offer incentives only to your best employees. On occasion, you can reward anyone who meets a specific goal. Monitor each employee’s progress toward his or her goals, and provide personalized coaching. Recognize the efforts of everyone in the office.
Treat Your Employees Like Family
Treating your employees like family doesn’t mean that you have to invite them over for Christmas dinner, but it does mean that you should be interested in them and provide support for them. For example, if you have a single mother on your staff, be flexible with her schedule so that she can get the kids to school and to doctor appointments without worrying that she’ll get in trouble at work.
Create opportunities for yourself to bond with your employees and for your employees to bond with each other. When everyone feels close to each other, they’ll feel more comfortable asking for help when they need it.
Productive employees lead to a profitable business, so boosting productivity is essential for any startup. If you want to transform your company’s atmosphere, you can’t go wrong by creating a comfortable environment, encouraging breaks, offering incentives, and bonding with your employees.
